Butterscotch Bars

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – June 22, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, April 2009.

One of the monthly features of the magazine, Cooking Light, is when they take a fat, calorie and generally unhealthy food favorite and make it a light meal/treat.  I’ve tried several of these recipes and have never been disappointed.  I was giddy with excitement when they decided to re-make butterscotch bars.  See, I love bar cookies.  I love butterscotch.  I love streusel.  This recipe has them all.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

Looking at the two pictures, here’s a couple things I would do different

• I’d run the dry ingredients of my streusel base & topping through a mini-chop or a food processor.
• I’d make sure my butterscotch layer was a little more melted so it would spread easier.
• I’d try to evenly distribute the topping over the top layer.

Now mine isn’t as pretty, but it tasted delicious and ultimately that is what matters most.

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – June 9, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Real Simple, May 2010.

I love Italian food.  The sauces, pasta, cheese – I could go on forever.  What attracted me to this recipe was the fact that it slimmed down (at least a little) my favorite spaghetti and meatball recipe.  Of course, I didn’t jump into this without some apprehension and the calorie and fat content aren’t all that impressive for this dish.  Ground beef doesn’t need much seasoning to make a flavorful meatball (thank you fat), but turkey isn’t that easy.  I was surprised to see minimal seasoning going into the meatballs and crossed my fingers as they were cooking.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Real Simple

I don’t know if I could get much closer than this.  On top of that, it was FANTASTIC!  Each meatball was like a little turkey parmesan ball.  Absolutely delicious!

Pappardelle with Beef & Mushroom Ragu

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 20, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Real Simple, January 2011.

This recipe brought me to my knees.  Not that it was overly difficult – a basic red sauce with vegetables and meat over pasta is not exactly rocket science.  No, between trying to find Pappardelle and burning the veggies, I had enough by the time I was through.  However, through the smoky haze of my kitchen choking on the stench of scorched carrots, I realized it tasted really good.  Thank goodness, because I was walking a very thin line between sanity and murderous rage at that point.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Real  Simple

First, let’s state the obvious… I didn’t use papparedelle.  That’s because I drove all over Northwest Indiana looking for it and couldn’t find it.  However one of the substitutes was fettuccine, which is what I used.  I think they probably used shiitake and/or Portobello mushrooms too because they seem to have a deeper color to them.  So, yes, it doesn’t look exactly the same, but I’m sure it tasted just as good.

Havarti Shrimp Quesadillas

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – July 30, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

These quesadillas can be cut up into smaller sections for an appetizer or eaten as an entrée in larger portions.  I had never bought/used Havarti and was a little nervous because of the cost.  I mean, who wants to pay $5 for a brick of cheese and screw it up!  Fortunately, it is meant to be sliced and served so I really only needed to worry about burning the tortillas.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

The end result was fairly similar, but at the time I didn’t have a grill pan so I didn’t get the pretty grill lines across it.  Interestingly enough, I found these to be a little bland.  Although they weren’t bad, I definitely had to eat them with a salad and had guacamole and salsa as a side.

Enchilada Lasagna

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – November 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

Here’s a small list of some of the things I love:

• Casseroles
• Mexican Food
• Lasagna

This dish is all three.  With the ease of a casserole (it definitely beats rolling enchiladas), it replaces the calorie and carb-busting pasta with flour tortillas, and has a great Mexican flavor.  The recipe gives you room to make it a little spicier if you need it and you can always serve it with your favorite Chipotle hot sauce.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

I always get irritated when my dish doesn’t come close to matching the published one.  Now I give myself a little room here since cutting a perfect slice of casserole (with a base layer of sauce) is kind of a tricky business.  That aside, Taste of Home’s lasagna looks thicker and yummier.  Upon closer inspection, I did notice that some of the ingredients are different.  For example, those are clearly red onions, which were not in the ingredient listing.  Also, the directions finish off the top with the cheese, but there are chopped (not stewed tomatoes) on top of theirs.  This leads me to conclude that perhaps the recipe wasn't entirely accurate.

It doesn’t really matter because my enchilada lasagna was really tasty, but I don’t like the tricks of some of the magazines/websites out there.

Curried Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – October 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

Shepherd’s pie is one of those dishes my husband reminisces about.  He is usually talking about some crappy cafeteria food from high school or college, but he loved it anyway.  After we moved in together, I had a confession to make – I never had shepherd’s pie, EVER.  My mother never made it, I never ate it from the school cafeteria, and I didn’t go away to college.  His reaction was one of horror, so I made it my mission to find a recipe and make one for us both to enjoy.  I tried a couple different ones, which weren’t bad, but not good enough to get me excited about it.  Then, I stumbled upon this version which is has a curry base.  Absolutely scrumptious!!!

My Finished product

Picture published with recipe: (c) Taste of Home

Now I know what you’re thinking.  Mine looks like a pile of mush… and it has totally different vegetables in it, but more on that later.  It really tastes better than it looks.

Beef Roast with Gravy

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – September 2010

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Recipe originally published in Taste of Home, June/July 2010.

I have a problem with cooking roast beef.  I can never get it cooked and juicy enough for my taste.  I decided to try a slow-cooker version with gravy.  I will say one thing – I hate the thought of leaving my slow cooker on all day when I’m not around, so I tend to do slow cooking when I’m going to be home. 

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: ©Taste of Home

My gravy doesn’t look as rich and dark as Taste of Home’s gravy.  I’m guessing it is because I tried to lighten it up a little with no-fat gravy and reduced-fat soup.  Still, it tasted great and was as thick as it needed to be.